Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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STRIP DISPENSER POR REARING HATCHLINGS
This invention relates to a strip dispensing apparatus for use in rearing
hatchlings in the time period immediately after hatching. The term
"hatchlings" used
herein is primarily directed to chicks but is also intended to include any
hatched birds
such as turkeys, geese, ducks which are reared intensively.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIIaN
In US patent 5,526,759 issued June 18t" 1996 by Cox is disclosed an
apparatus for laying chick feed support paper. Such paper is used to provide a
protective layer on the floor of a containment pen on which the hatchiings are
placed
when supplied to the pen to grow into larger birds. It is well known that
placing the
hatchlings or chicks on paper strip with feed immediately accessible to them
reduces
mortality and encourages growth.
Traditionally such paper strip is laid manually by unrolling from a roil
and a strip of feed material is poured or placed on the strip before the
chicks are
manually carried in to the pen and deposited on the paper with the feed.
Cox provides a trailer arrangement which carries a roll of the paper
strip, in which a groove is formed in the material, such as Straw or wood
shavings,
forming the floor surface and the paper is laid into the groove by a rolling
wheel
which holds the strip in place as it is unrolled from a supply. This device
has
21) apparently found little commercial success and is believed not to be
available an the
market place.
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S~JMMAI~Y OF THE INVENTION
2
It is one object of the invention to provide a strip dispensing apparatus
far use in rearing hatchlings in the time period immediately after hatching.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an
apparatus comprising:
a vehicle for movement over a floor of a containment area for raising
hatchlings into birds;
a support on the vehicle for receiving a roll of a sheet materiel such
that the roll can dispense the sheet material as a strip laid onto the floor
as the
vehicle is moved across the floor;
a hopptr on the vehicle for receiving a feed material for the hatchlings;
and a dispensing nozzle of the hopper arranged for dispensing a layer
of the feed material onto the strip after the strip is laid as the vehicle is
moved
forward ly.
Preferably the nozzle is elongate extending across the width of the
strip of sheet material so as to deposit feed material substs~ntially across
the full
width.
Pnyferably the nozzle is arranged relative to the strip such that the
nozzle leaves spaces free from the feed at the side edges of the strip.
Preferably the nozzle includes a shut-off valve for closing off feed
where the vehicle is halted. The shut-off valve may be formed by a closure
plate
underneath the nozzle operable by a lever.
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Preferably the support for the roll is mounted on the vehicle in front of
the hopper.
Preferably the support for the roll is raised from floor. However it may
be placed at floor level for direct unrolling of the strip on the floor.
Preferably the vehicle is a trailer which has ground wheels for
supporting the hopper with the ground wheels arranged an either side of strip
so that
the strip can be unrolled through the middle of the wheels.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a
method comprising:
providing a vehicle for movement over a floor of a containment area for
raising hatchlings into birds;
providing a support on the vehlCle for receiving a roil of a sheet
material;
dispensing the sheet material as a strip laid onto the floor as the
vehicle is moved aoross the floor;
providing a hopper on the vehicle for receiving a feed material for the
hatchlings;
and dispensing the feed through a nozzle of the hopper as a layer of
the feed material onto the strip after the strip is laid as the vehicle is
moved forwardly
2p such that the strip is held dawn in place on the floor by the feed from the
nozzle.
In an important feature the strip is laid flat on the floor and held in place
solely by the feed material laid thereon.
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4
The method allows the feed to be applied in a layer of constant
thickness substantially across the full width of the strip leaving a band at
each edge
of the strip which is free from the feed. This allows the chicks to be placed
manually
and without difficulty on the feed on the strip allowing even the weakest of
the chicks
to have access to the feed.
According to a thircl aspect of the present invention there is provided a
method of raising birds from hatchlings comprising:
providing a bam defining a containment area having a floor surtave
arranged for raising birds from the hatchiings;
1 Q providing a vehicle for movement aver the floor surface of the
containment area;
providing a support on the vehicle for receiving a roll of a sheet
materiai;
dispensing ~e sheet material as a strip laid directly onto the floor
surface as the vehicle is moved across the floor;
providing a hopper on the vehicle for receiving a feed material for the
hatchlings;
dispensing the feed material through a nozzle of the hopper as a layer
of the feed material onto the strip as the strip is laid by the vehicle being
moved
forwardly such that the strip is held down in place on the floor by the feed
material
from the nozzle;
causing the feed material to be maintained separated from the floor
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surface by the sheet material such the feed material is protected against
being lost
within the floor surface;
placing the hatchlings on the strip;
and protecting by the sheet material the hatchiings from engagement
5 with the floor surtace while providing access to the feed material on the
sheet
material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention will now be described in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings in which:
9 0 Figure 1 is a side elevational view of an apparatus according to the
present invention for dispensing a paper layer for raising hatchlings.
Figure 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus of Figure 1,
Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the apparatus of Figure 9 on an
enlarged scale shovrimg the strip laid on the floor and the feed material
holding it in
place,
Figure 4 is a rear elevational view showing the strip, feed and chicks
on the floor.
in the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding
parts in the different figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the figures is shown an apparatus for laying a strip of sheet material
10 from a roll 11 and for depositing upon the strip 10 a layer 12 of a
particulate feed
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material for hatchlings or Chinks 13. The strip 10 is laid flat upon a floor
14 of a
containment pen, the floor being formed of suitable m2~terials well known to
one
skilled in the art for raising birds from hatchlings.
The apparatus comprises a trailer 15 including a frame 16 and ground
wheels 17. The frame 18 includes frame members arranged to support a hopper 17
carried on the frame. The arrangement of the frame members will be well known
to
one skilled in the art so that detailed description is not required. The
hopper 17
includes vertical side walls and Inclined hopper bottom w2~lls 19 and 20. The
frame
provides a hitch 21 at the forward end for attachment to a suitable tractor
22.
The frame 16 carries a pair of forwardly extending support walls 23
and 24 which extend forwardly from the front of the support legs 25 of the
hopper.
The side wall 23 and 24 are spaced by a width equal to the width of the roll
11 so
that the roll is supported between the side walls an a support shaft 27. The
roll is
thus supported on the front of the hopper between the hopper and the tractor
at a
position spaced upwardly from the floor. The frame defines frame members which
are spaced apart by a width greater than the width of the strip on the roll 11
so that
the strip is free to fall downwardly between the frame members and between the
wheels to lie upon the floor 14.
The strip is preferably formed of a suitable paper or other sheet
material which can be laid over the floor to provide a smooth support surface
for
receiving the feed and the hatchlings. The sheet material is of a nature which
protects the hatchlings from the rough floor and supports the feed so that it
is
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7
protected against being lost within the floor surface. Thus the hatchlings can
be
placed upon the paper or other sheet material and supported thereon in a
manner
which provides immediate access to the feed around them on the paper,
The hopper 17 has the side walls 19 converging inwardly and
downwardly to the ends of a bottom nozzle or slot 30 extending across the
width of
the apparatus. The rolls 20 also converge inwardly and downwardly to define
sides
31 of the nozzle.
The width of the nozzle ~0 is arranged to be slightly less than the width
of the sheet material. Thus as shown in Figure 3, the layer 12 falls from the
nozzle
3Q onto the sheet '14 and dines ends 12A of the layer 12 which are spaced
inwardly from side edges 1QA of the strip material leaving a narrow band of
the strip
material which is free from the layer.
As the nozzle has a constant width across its full length, the layer that
is discharged from the hopper is of a constant thickness, provided that the
vehicle is
moved across the floor at a constant speed.
Thus the arrangement has the advantage that the layer of feed
material is spread evenly across the sheet as close as possible to the edges
without
risk of losing feed material aver the edges so that there are no bare patches
on the
sheet and no piles of excess feed on the sheet.
21J The race of feed through the nozzle can be controlled by a closure
plate 31 shown best in Figure 1 which is operated by a link 3Z movable by a
lever 33
operable by an operator seated on a seat 34 of the tractor 22. Thus depending
upon
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the flowability of the feed material in particulate form but in the hopper and
depending upon the speed of movement across the floor, the operator can move
the
closure plate 31 to a n~quired position to adjust the width of the slot. The
closure
plate is located underneath the slot or nozzle 30 so that it can be moved
wholly out
of the way of the nozzle allowing the full width of the nozzle to discharge
the feed
material ar it can be moved to a position fully closing the nozzle to close
off feed
when not required or it can be moved to an intermediate position thus
adjusting the
width of the nozzle 30.
In operation, the operator grasps a portion of the strip material and
pulls ~ underneath the hopper from the roll 11 so that the strip materiel is
located an
the floor behind the trailer 15, With the strip material so in place, the
operator opens
the nozzle 30 by operating the lever 33 to allow an initial portion of feed
material
onto the strip in the layer 12. Thus the strip is held onto the floor by the
weight of the
feed material and is properly located on the floor without creases, folding or
slippage
by the weight of the feed material as the feed material is deposited ants the
strip as
the vehicle is moved forwardly over the floor.
The strip is thus laid in long lengths along the length of the
containment pen with the feed material spread evenly over the strip material
far
receiving the hatchlings 13.
In conventional manner, hatchlings can be carried manually and
deposited carefully onto the feed material. The fact that the feed material is
evenly
spread allows the hatchlings to be dropped simply onto the paper at any
position on
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the paper strip with the knowledge that the hatchiing will be located on feed
making
it immediately accessible to the hatchling. Even the weakest hatchlings
therefore
can access feed immediately on becoming aware of their location allowing them
to
have access to the materials necessary for their growth thus reducing
morbidity and
loss.
Since various mod'~ftcations can be made in my invention as herein
above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made
within the spirit ancf scope of the claims without department from such spirit
and
scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying
specification shall
be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
